How to take care of your Diabetic Footcare

Released Date: 2021-01-28

Diabetic foot care

If you have diabetes, nerve damage, circulation problems, and infections can lead to serious foot problems. Managing your diabetes and maintaining a healthy lifestyle helps keep your feet healthy. This should include:

Regular medical exams, including foot checks at every visit and checking your ABCs (A1c, blood pressure, and cholesterol)
Monitoring your blood sugar daily
Regular exercise
Eating a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables

Daily Foot care

Here are a few foot care habits you can adopt and try to do every day.

1. Inspect your feet

Check your feet and toes, inspecting the tops, sides, soles, heels, and the area in between the toes. If you discover any sores, redness, cuts, blisters, or bruises, contact your doctor immediately.

2. Wash your feet

Wash your feet every day in warm water with mild soap. Hot water and harsh soaps can damage your skin. Check the water temperature with your fingers or elbow before putting your feet in. Your diabetes may make it difficult to sense water temperature with your feet.

3. Dry your feet

Pat your feet to dry them and make sure to dry well. Infections tend to develop in moist areas, so make sure you dry the area between your toes well.

4. Moisturize dry skin

If the skin on your feet feels rough or dry, use lotion or oil. Do not use lotion between your toes.

Dont’s

Antiseptic solutions can burn your skin. Never use them on your feet without your doctor’s approval.
Never use a heating pad, hot water bottle, or electric blanket on your feet.
Avoid walking barefoot. Most people know to avoid hot pavement or sandy beaches, but even walking barefoot around the house can cause sores or injuries that can get infected.
Protect your feet from heat and cold.
Never attempt to remove corns, calluses, warts, or other foot lesions yourself. Don’t use chemical wart removers, razor blades, corn plasters, or liquid corn or callus removers. See your doctor or podiatrist.
Don’t sit with your legs crossed or stand in one position for long periods of time.

Frequently asked questions

Q.What are signs of diabetic feet?

Changes in skin color.
Changes in skin temperature.
Swelling in the foot or ankle.
Pain in the legs.
Open sores on the feet that are slow to heal or are draining.
Ingrown toenails or toenails infected with fungus.
Corns or calluses.
Dry cracks in the skin, especially around the heel.

Q.Why do diabetics have bad feet?

Diabetes complications can include nerve damage and poor blood circulation. These problems make the feet vulnerable to skin sores (ulcers) that can worsen quickly. However,with proper diabetes management and careful foot care can help prevent foot ulcers.

Q.Why is foot care so important for diabetics?

People who suffer from diabetes need to take extra care to protect their feet from infection. Diabetes raises the amount of sugar in the blood. High sugar levels can damage the nerves in the feet causing a condition called peripheral neuropathy.

Q.What happens to your feet when you have diabetes?

About half of all people with diabetes have some kind of diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage). You can have nerve damage in any part of your body, but nerves in your feet and legs are most often affected. Nerve damage can cause you to lose feeling in your feet.

Q.What should diabetics not eat?

Sugar-sweetened beverages. Sugary beverages are the worst drink choice for someone with diabetes.
Trans fats. Artificial trans fats are extremely unhealthy.
White bread, rice, and pasta.
Fruit-flavored yogurt.
Sweetened breakfast cereals.
Flavored coffee drinks.
Honey, agave nectar, and maple syrup.
Dried fruit.